New Orleans officials butt heads over featured entertainment for upcoming New Years Rockin Eve
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Wednesday, December 16 2020
Dec 16, 2020
December 16, 2020 11:50 AM
December 16, 2020
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Source: WWL-TV
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NEW ORLEANS - Award-winning christian music singer and songwriter Lauren Daigle has become the center of a spat between New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and a few state officials, such as Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser.
According to WWL-TV, some state leaders view Daigle, a Lafayette native, as a welcome addition to the Crescent City s New Year s Rockin Eve New Orleans celebration.
But Mayor Cantrell feels quite differently, and even officially requested that Daigle not be a part of the festivities.
AG Jeff Landry says Mayor LaToya Cantrell targeted Lauren Daigle because she expressed her faith nola.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nola.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
UPDATE: A report from NOLA.com says Lauren Daigle was not scheduled to play Dick Clark s Rockin New Year s Eve Celebration on ABC. Turns out, according to Louisiana Radio Network, when Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser found out Daigle would not be performing on the show he pulled a state contract helping to finance the event. Nungesser wanted the Christian singer to be on the show as she is an ambassador for his tourism department.
The city of New Orleans will now pick up the cost and the Fleur Dis Lis will still drop in New Orleans on ABC on New Year s Eve.
Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser today said New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s actions against Lauren Daigle cost not just New Orleans the opportunity at invaluable, worldwide promotion at a time when it’s needed most, they also cost every city in Louisiana that had a chance at hosting the event.
“When Mayor Cantrell’s personal feelings toward Lauren Daigle being tapped to promote her city came to light, we attempted to move the safe, and socially-distanced, celebration to a location outside of New Orleans and Orleans Parish, even offering to hold the event on a riverboat in Gretna with New Orleans still serving as the backdrop. It was then Mayor Cantrell took the issue to the next level, writing letters and making phone calls to Dick Clark Productions and ABC,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “The result of her actions was a decision by Dick Clark Productions to pull Lauren Daigle from the lineup and any celebration from Louisiana to be broadcast worldwide
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has thrown his hat into the Daigle-Cantrell conversation.
Back in early November, New Orleans residents were upset after Lauren Daigle joined Christian singer/activist/politician Sean Feucht for a worship concert in the French Quarter at a time when the entire city was on lockdown.
The locals, especially the music and arts community, felt like the outdoor concert that featured at least a thousand people (many not wearing masks) was a slap in the face to all the struggling artists and those in the local music industry who have been handcuffed throughout the coronavirus pandemic in an effort to get the numbers under control.